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Craigslist Scam: Best We've Read In a While

A reader points us towards this entry on the LA Land Blog in the LA Times: Why Is My House On Craig's List? and it's a doozy. Ok, maybe not on the level of the subprime mortgage scandals, but this one is much less boring. What do you do when the house you just bought but haven't moved into winds up on Craigslist for rent?:

Jessica bought a 1400-SF Spanish fixer in Wilshire Vista last November, and hasn't moved in, because she's still working on architectural drawings and permits. Result: empty house, unmowed lawn. Jessica, meantime is at her parent's in Rancho Mirage on a Saturday night, searching Craig's List for a new rental, and sees a house for rent that she can afford -- coincidentally, it's in the same neighborhood as her fixer.

"It's two bedrooms, one bath, and then I see the address and it's MY ADDRESS!" she tells LA Land. "I'm totally shocked! I told my parents, 'I just saw my house on Craig's List! I click on it and it describes my house to a "t." There's no contact information, but it says there's going to be an Open House on Sunday!"

Read on to figure out how to convince the cops the house is actually yours.
· It's Real Estate Fraud Week at LA Land: Chapter Two -- Why Is My House On Craig's List? [LA Land Blog]